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To cut waste, FairPrice may drop prices of more food items

SINGAPORE — Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice is looking at extending marked-down prices — which currently apply to seafood and chilled meats after they have been displayed for a day — to other categories of food, without compromising quality and safety, as part of a series of initiatives to reduce food wastage.

SINGAPORE — Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice is looking at extending marked-down prices — which currently apply to seafood and chilled meats after they have been displayed for a day — to other categories of food, without compromising quality and safety, as part of a series of initiatives to reduce food wastage.

Other possible measures under its food waste reduction framework, which will kick in early next year, include educating customers that fruits and vegetables that may not be aesthetically appealing, and which are often left unsold, can still be wholesome and safe for consumption.

Announcing its plans for the new framework yesterday, FairPrice said it would donate more unsold but safe-for-consumption products to charity.

FairPrice chief executive officer Seah Kian Peng said the framework would help the cooperative clearly define its goals and systematically track its progress towards reducing food waste.

“While we already have some initiatives in place, we need to find a more effective and sustainable approach to reduce food waste,” he said.

Based on statistics from the National Environment Agency, Singapore dumped 796,000 tonnes of food waste last year — a 13.2 per cent increase from 2012.

With a network of more than 120 outlets around the island, FairPrice contributed to about 0.3 per cent of total food waste generated last year. It said the key categories of food that go to waste at its supermarkets are vegetables and fruits.

Last year, FairPrice set up a working committee to review its processes and look into new approaches to better manage food waste.

An ongoing study has found that apart from food that is aesthetically flawed and left unsold, quality control, the trimming during packaging, damage caused during transport and storage as well as mishandling of products by customers have contributed to the supermarket chain’s food waste.

FairPrice said that, currently, about half of its 122 outlets donate their unsold products, which can still be consumed, to more than 30 charities on an ad-hoc basis.

When the new framework is launched, FairPrice will start a long-term partnership with voluntary welfare organisation (VWO) Food From The Heart, which conducts monthly distribution of food goodie bags at various schools and corporations, among other activities.

Separately, the supermarket chain will support the VWO’s series of initiatives held in conjunction with World Food Day today.

This includes a Clean Plates campaign to encourage more than 10,000 students not to waste food.

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